Onstage Playhouse Closes Season 41 with the World Premiere of MASA

 A Love Letter to Memory

A Blog View by Alejandra Enciso-Dardashti

Salomon Maya, Veronica Burgess, Julian Ortega. Photo Daren Scott

There is a line in José Cruz González's Play, American Mariachi that says "Music is Memory". 

Theatre is also memory. It serves as a record in many ways and, in the case of Onstage's latest play MASA, it is a love letter to Mexico City as it navigated the devastating earthquake of 1985, with a magnitude of 8.1, and claimed thousands of lives. The play takes place eight months after the earthquake in 1986 during the World Cup-México 86. Lolita (Veronica Burgess) is the tamal queen and instead of cooking from her business, she does so from home as she is suffering from PTSD after losing her husband in the earthquake. Her son Santiago (Julian Ortega) is about to turn 18 and is trying to be there for Lolita as much as he can while figuring out his life and grieving. The small family also has tía Dorotea (Denise Lopez), Lolita's sister who lives next door, and despite being happy all the time, she is battling her own demons. The home's front door is blocked by a board and the entrance/exit is through the window. Lolita talks to her husband daily as the radio turns randomly on its own and plays songs from The Beatles. She sees this as a sign, while Santiago sort of believes. One day, Gastón (Salomon Maya) who is in the city with the Argentinian fútbol (a.k.a soccer) team, comes to Lolita to purchase tamales for the team during their nail-biting matches. Lolita, even though numb, takes on the arduous order, and as the days go by, the family deals with reality, what comes next after this tragedy, Santiago growing into adulthood, and the hard task of letting go.

Onstage Artistic Director James P. Darvas directed this piece and landed solid performances. Each character has their own development that unfolds during the play and comes together with the story. There are some tough and painful, -gut-wrenching even- moments in the piece that stream along comedic relief, having audiences both gasping and laughing. Veronica Burgess brings all of Lolita's layers powerfully and movingly while realistically illustrating the phases of trauma and grief. Julian Ortega in his Onstage debut is vibrant as Santiago adding spark and freshness to the scenes with high energy and intention. Denise Lopez, also in her Onstage debut, brings total sass to the story. On the surface, it seems that tía Doro is happy and cheerful but, like everybody, she has her own struggles and Lopez embraces that, bringing it to a shocking reveal, beautifully shaped and strongly performed.

Julian Ortega, Veronica Burgess, Denise Lopez. Photo Daren Scott

Duane McGregor imprints his detailed style once more in a beautiful and authentic-looking set design made up of the home's living room and kitchen, using azulejo-type tile for the kitchen wall and brick red tile for the floor which made it look like a Coyoacán aesthetic (IYKYK). Another interesting aspect of the design is the color palette using primary, warm colors like yellows, oranges, and maples that went along with Maxine Levesque's light design with the same tones, switching to bright whites to accentuate Lolita's daze, as well as Santiago's exits as -in my eyes- illustrates his mother's fear of losing him too. Brad Dubois chose fun pieces to complement Dorotea's bubbly, playful personality with printed one-pieces and big, bulky earrings. For Santiago, the 80s vibe was totally on with high-rise jeans and bandanas, along with a playful t-shirt showcasing the Mexican rock band El Tri, which is very Mexico City. The Gastón character brought the sporty Argentinian style with the light blues and World Cup sports attire. With Lolita, the wardrobe was dressed down with an apron and flats, that like the white lighting, accentuated the character's emotional state. 

Salomon Maya debuted his first play MUGRE at Onstage last year and MASA is his second. There is growth between the two and the writing in MASA is better weaved and flows with more air. At times it does feel a tad rushed but it is a minor detail that can be easily finessed. Maya has been onto something special with these plays, a deep dive into Mexican idiosyncrasy, which has hardly been explored in San Diego theatre (at least in the 14 years I have been pursuing it). Bringing simple details to the mix like a box of Zucaritas, a staple for kids' breakfasts and dinners during the 80s and 90s. Specifically with MASA, he dives even deeper. He brings the added Mexico City idiosyncrasy with typical references like the bad traffic and the street names, even how it was called "Distrito Federal" or "D.F" before the touristy revamped, rename of CDMX-Ciudad de México. There is another heavy traffic reference to the "hoy no circula" initiative where cars do not circulate daily to alleviate the traffic. Even though this program started in 1989, it was a fit for this setting. 

Stories like these, bring diversity and contrast to the one-sided narratives that have been told and told over and over. For this, I commend Salomon in his playwriting era and no, as a Mexican woman in The States, I am not being biased. Jaden Guerrero's sound design incorporated each Beatles song as clues and answers, being a reminder that music is universal.

MASA will strike a special cord with those who recognize the references and prompt something new to those who do not.

Currently playing until November 2 in Chula Vista, for performance days and times, please click HERE.